A server is a processing system that offers some type of service to local or remote clients. The clients may be attached to the server through a network such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The server typically includes data storage in the form of drives, such as magnetic or optical drives, that may store applications and application data, as well as an operating system on a boot drive. Server hardware may become obsolete in a relatively short period of time (e.g., 2-3 years), necessitating the frequent replacement of the server hardware.
A server may perform a specific function. The function is generally designated in the server's operating system. For example, a storage server, such as a file server (or filer) provides data storage and access to clients. Other types of servers may provide computing services or network access. The operating system of each server is tailored to the intended function of the server. For example, the operating system of a filer includes subroutines to provide network access and file service to remote clients.
A user of computing services may have several servers performing different functions. When a server's hardware becomes obsolete, the user often wants to continue using the functionality of the server, but on newer, more powerful, and more reliable hardware. The operating system and the data stored by the server can be migrated from old hardware to new hardware. This is known as server migration.
Server migration typically comprises a process known as physical migration. Physical migration involves transporting the data stored on a server to a new server. Mass storage devices within a server, such as disk drives, are physical entities and have physically discrete storage parameters. Physical migration typically includes copying the contents of the drives of the old server to different drives of the new server. Since the drives of the new server rarely match the capacity of the drives of the old server, the new server often will not have the same storage characteristics of the old server.
Sever migration is frequently a necessary procedure. For a user that owns several servers, server migration may require frequent time consuming and mistake-laden physical migrations. What is needed, therefore, is a way to streamline and improve server migration.